Several Republican state senators are making it clear that there will be no expansion of Medicaid eligibility this year in Missouri.
Five GOP senators took to the Senate floor Monday as the Legislature returned from spring break to say they will block any attempt to expand Medicaid eligibility during the session that ends in mid-May.
Their strong pronouncement came a day before a House committee is to hear testimony on a proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage to thousands of lower-income adults, partly by subsidizing their enrollment in private health insurance policies. The House legislation would link the Medicaid expansion to a broader overhaul of the program.
States that expand Medicaid eligibility can get extra federal money under President Barack Obama's health law.
